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Drew Cunningham

Dr. Furlong
First Engagements
8/13/12
Mary Ann Taylor-Halls Come and Go, Molly Snow is a story of one womans struggle to
overcome her grief that stems from the loss of her daughter, Molly, in an accident. Throughout
the course of the novel Carrie Marie Mullens learns not only to face her grief and strife, but also
begins her journey to truly find who she is. One passage that is important to understanding this
work is found on pages 158 and 159. In this excerpt Carrie is musing over the idea that this
world is connected to the afterlife; there is a blending of the two and she and Molly are still
marginally coupled.
The reason that this passage is pertinent to comprehending the novel is that throughout
the section One Main Sound Carrie begins to understand that the sound is the pull of the two
worlds, a seam as you would, and that inextricably carries a connection between them. When
she encounters the sound she can feel Mollys presence and in a scene that is eerily similar the
movie Ghost, she is enveloped in the manifestation of her memories of her daughter. She is
close to truly being able to feel connected again when she is interrupted by Cap breaking into
her home and taking her from Mollys bedroom. She loses the connection and never attempts
to find it again in this fashion, however later in the novel she does.
Carrie is once again able to establish a bridge to the afterlife as she is playing her fiddle
in the abandoned farmhouse a short distance from Onas house. She is able to conjure up

images of Little Ladythe spirit of a deceased motherand Molly while she is playing her
music. This is never described as whether being a real occurrence or just a delusion that
appears in Carries mind. This one final channel to the afterlife that Carrie experiences allows
her to see Molly one last time before allowing herself to finally let go of the grief and guilt that
her daughters death brought to her.
This is the point that Mary Ann Taylor-Hall is trying to relay to the reader: The loss of a
child can never be placed solely on the individual. You must remember there are always going
to be terrible instances that occur that will take those we love from us. Even if they are gone
from this world, they live on in us, in our memories, in our hearts. We must learn to forgive
ourselves and to not be consumed by our grief for it will keep us from living. Although the two
worlds of death and life are not far from each other we cannot be drawn into darkness. To be
alive is to live in the light and to carry with us the memories of those that are gone. Taylor-Hall
ends the novel with Carrie Marie embarking on a journey to find herself and to live no longer
burdened with the guilt of the unfortunate happening that stripped her of her beloved daughter.

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